Free Through the Eye of Time by Trevor Hoyle Page B

trouble,’ I sighed. ‘I’m just a foolish old sentimentalist at heart.’
    *
    The news from abroad couldn’t be better. On his return to England Mandrake was given the kind of reception usually reserved for conquering war heroes. With only two exceptions the British Press were ecstatic about his triumphant visit and the cordial welcome of the Chancellor and the entire German nation. There has been a good deal of speculation about the election to be held in October and how this new peace initiative will affect Mandrake’s chances of becoming the next Prime Minister.
    Today we received the newsreels, flown over by special courier, and Goebbels arranged a private showing during the afternoon. I thought this an opportune moment to introduce Eva to the Führer and telephoned the apartment, asking her to be at the Chancellery by two o’clock.
    All went according to plan. We assembled in the conference room where the long table had been moved aside and the gilt chairs set in rows facing the screen. I was pleased to see that Eva had chosen a simple outfit for this important first meeting: a plain white blouse decorated with a subtle motif of alpine flowers (the Führer’s favourite), a straight dark-green skirt and black low-heeled shoes. I had calculated that in flat shoes she would be smaller than him by five centimetres, which was absolutely crucial if the occasion was to be a success, and I was pleased to see that this was indeed so: the Führer ‘towered’ over her, as much as he is able to tower over anyone.
    After we had assembled I led her forward, having told her to keep her eyes downcast in a shy, diffident manner.
    â€˜May I crave your indulgence, mein Führer, in presenting to you Miss Eva Braun, who has implored me so many times to be allowed the privilege and honour of meeting you.’
    The first impression, I knew at once, was favourable, and several minutes passed in agreeable chatter. The Führer complimented Eva on her appearance and she responded with a small curtsy and a maidenly blush. The Führer smiled at this, glancing about him with eyes twinkling, and made what I think was a joke. Everyone laughed merrily.
    When we sat down Eva was behind and slightly to one side of the Führer so that when he turned his head she was tantalizinglythere at the corner of his vision. A quiet word with Julius had procured this happy arrangement.
    The lights were dimmed and the screen flickered with numbers. The soundtrack crackled and then we saw a twin-engined aircraft coming in to land against a typically English sky of dark rainclouds. Mandrake stepped out and was immediately engulfed by an excited crowd. He was smiling in that rather tight-lipped way of his as he was led forward to a small platform and a cluster of microphones, surrounded on all sides by reporters and photographers. It seemed that the British Press regarded this as a major news story.
    Goebbels had in his usual thorough way provided a transcript of the commentary and Mandrake’s speech and I saw the Führer holding his copy to catch the light (he pretends that his English is good but actually he knows only a dozen words).
    The camera had been moved nearer so that we had a large close-up of Mandrake, the wind ruffling his neat black cap of hair and the piece of paper he held in his hand. He smiled and nodded and started to speak:
    â€˜This morning I had a further meeting with the German Führer and we are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for the two countries and for Europe. We both regard our meeting as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.
    â€˜We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference and thus to